Scott's Soapbox

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Sometimes People Make Something Out Of Nothing

Andrew Sullivan points out this preposterous story about the Barbie web site. No, I'm not making this up. Apparently, there is a survey on there asking young visitors (one would assume mostly girls, no?) there age and gender. It reads (see here) "I'm a girl, I'm a boy, I don't know." Ok, kind of funny. But maybe a really little person might not know. Or might be playing as their gender-neutral stuffed animal. Or their Dad might be doing it. I can see me showing my little girl how to navigate through. Or whatever.

Did you immediately assume that Mattel (the makers of Barbie) had some agenda and were trying to confuse little girls as to their gender while encouraging society's acceptance of lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. No, of course not, because that would be totally f-ing crazy, right? Meet Bob Knight.

Not the famously temperamental basketball coach, this Bob Knight is the director of the Concerned Women for America's "Culture and Family Institute (wouldn't this logically be, you know, a woman?), and he says Mattel was being influenced by the "transgender movement." (There's a transgender movement? Who knew?) According to ABC, to pose "this transgender question at little girls, they've really crossed the line," Knight said, who added that "bisexuality gender confusion" is the Web site's agenda, which is "very dangerous."

I'm going to make a sneaky little bet that their "agenda" is to sell more Barbie dolls! To make to website fun and encourage brand loyalty. To make little girls cry, and plead, and beg for the new Barbie they just have to get this year or their whole life will be ruined, right. I really doubt Mattel sat down and had a meeting wherein someone asked- how can we encourage the transgender movement this year? Oh, right, the Barbie website.

Shouldn't the "Concerned" Women for America be concerned about something real, that actually matters to people? How about poverty? Equal opportunities for women? Unwanted and uncared for children? Woman's health issues? Breast cancer? Anybody?

Disgusting.

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